


Shut Down the City Lights

by buzzbug82



Series: Destiny!AU series [3]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Diamond Thief AU, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Original Character(s), Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-12 23:31:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2128575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzbug82/pseuds/buzzbug82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"But I think that my soul knew something that my body and my mind didn’t know yet. It knew that our hands were meant to hold each others, fearlessly and forever, which is why it’s never felt like I’ve been getting to know you. It’s always felt like I was remembering you from something, as if every lifetime you and I have lived, we’ve chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love all over again, and over and over for all eternity." </p>
<p>The third and final companion to the Counting Stars Destiny!AU series. </p>
<p>Title from ‘Gone Gone Gone’ by Phillip Phillips. There are two diamond thieves roaming around the streets of the rich and famous. Set in futuristic AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shut Down the City Lights

The security alarm blares loudly as the sound of window crash jolts the city into a shock. The passer-byers stop their doings as their attention is now focus on the most glamorous jewel store in the city; two figures clad in stylish outfits—each with wide hats lower over their faces—dash out of the broken window and jump into their vintage convertible—Jaguar E Type 1973/4 Roadster finished in beautiful azure blue— as three policemen arrive and take out their guns, pointing at the duo in the car.

“Surrender and you will not be harm!” One of the policemen shouts over the commotion as people on the street start to scream, some run off and some stays to watch the scene unfold.

The one wearing tiffany blue vest and grey silk shirt smirks, holding a hand on the air as if waving—a large red ruby shines on his finger.

The one with dark brown blazer steps on the gas pedal and the car screeches into the road. The crowd shrieks and step away to avoid any casualties, as the policemen quickly jump into the small police mobile. The mobile rise about two inches from the road by gravity and stop by the pull of magnetism; the red siren starts off and the car gains speed as it tracks towards the vintage car.

The police mobile slowly gains advantage as it comes nearer to the vintage car. The burglar in blue vest notices it by the side mirror and nudges his partner; a pair of bright hazel eyes peeks from under the black hat as he nods and steers the car into a sharp U-turn, speeding by.

The burglar with blue vest looks up from under his blue hat and a pair of blue eyes winks at the startled policemen as they drives by, speed increases per second as the car avoids a number of other mobiles on the road.

The police mobile manage to turn around, but the car is nowhere to be seen.

“How was it?” Darren glances at his partner as the car he drives illuminates with orange colour and changes shape to a much modern style. No longer is it the head-turning vintage convertible.

Chris turns to him, his eyes gleams. “I still can’t believe they didn’t know how we always managed to escape,” he rolls his eyes, as the car speeds through a much deserted road.

Darren just smiles as he keeps his left hand on the wheel, his right hand stretches out to take Chris’s hand.

* * *

 

“Look!” Chris hops out of the car when it pulls into the garage, showing the red ruby ring on his finger. “What do you think?”

Darren chuckles, eyes teasing as he looks at Chris. The garage door rolls down slowly and the lights flicker on. “Well, you do look distinguish, like a rich old lady. But it doesn’t suit you.”

“How mean, I love this one.” Chris pouts, stepping into their house through the adjacent door in the garage. “Look how big the ruby is! I wonder how much it worth…”

Darren considers for a moment as he takes out the diamonds from his glove and sleeve and carefully lays them on the velvet cloths, in a big safety box located in the far corner of the house, behind a big, heavy picture of a valley. “Probably more than two millions,” he eyes each of them admiringly. 

He locks the safety box and hangs back the picture, and turns to look at Chris who has shrugged off his vest and making tea in the kitchen, turning on the wide flat-screen television by hand gesture. The local news is showing the recent robbery that happened that morning.

“The suspects are known to move in pair, and they are known to drive in a vintage blue Jaguar E Type 1973/4.” The reporter is currently at the front of the jewel store with police officers rushing in and out of the front door; the manager is shouting and pulling his grey hair. “For anyone with information on them, please call…”

Darren turns off the television and looks at the beaming Chris. “Well,” Chris smiles in relief and tying an apron around his waist. “What do you want for dinner, chicken risotto or meatball spaghetti?”

“The latter,” Darren goes up to kiss him on the cheek and steals a bottle of red wine on his way to the fridge.

“You’re not eating anything before dinner, and put that wine down,” Chris glares at him, chopping vegetables. Darren laughs and closes the fridge, pulling the cork out of the bottle, pours it into a wine glass and locks gaze with his partner as he downs it in one go. His lips curls into a sly smirk when Chris stops chopping, his eyes lingers on Darren’s wet lips.

Darren put the glass down and closes their distance, hands wrap around Chris’s torso as their lips meet and tongues clash. Darren’s hands sneaked under the apron, grabbing a firm ass in each palms, pulling a gasp from Chris.

“Or I should have you for dinner instead,” Darren whispers huskily into his ear before biting the soft ear lobe, tongue darting out to taste the [gold-ball stud](http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/argento-vivo-ball-stud-earrings-online-only/3582222?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=argento_vivo_ball_stud_earrings_\(online_only\):268261_1&cm_pla=jewelry:women:earring&cm_ven=Linkshare&siteId=Hy3bqNL2jtQ-YQv3MttMMc3Nc3JrnwXYxA) pierced on Chis’s ear. Chris quickly lock his arms around Darren’s neck as Darren heaves him up and sits him on the kitchen counter, fumbling with the zipper of Chris’s trouser.

“That was the lamest pick-up line you ever come up with,” Chris pulls away teasingly, Darren growls and bits into his neck, leaving an impressive hickey.

Dinner can wait.

* * *

 

_The party is pretty extravagant and a lot of people in attendance are either important or very important. Darren scans the ballroom, marking his target as he folds up his white-gloved hands. His expensive black tuxedo blends him in with the glamorous outfits wore by the guests._

_If anyone asks him, he already had his story of how he’s the only son of an oil company in Saudi Arabia who studies abroad all his life got an invitation to the one of the biggest gala in the city and his father wants him to learn more about the social-elites._

_Darren picks up a glass of champagne as his eyes studies a lady in mid-fifties wearing green dress with a purple diamond brooch. He hides his smirk behind his glass. “That diamond doesn’t suit you, Madame.” he mutters to himself._

_He notices a few looks thrown at him and when he looks up, there is a group of young women smiling bashfully at him. He winks at them and walks away before any of them could approach him._

_Darren makes a bee-line to the lady in green dress, mixing with the crowd that gathers around her and her husband. The lady is laughing at something that someone says when Darren ‘accidently’ knocks into the person nearest to the lady, making her stumbles with her wine splashes a bit on her arm before her husband catches her. It creates a small commotion but everything seems fine and the lady brushes it off with a small laugh._

_Darren escapes the crowd and clutches the diamond brooch in her gloved hand, smiling charmingly at the people he passes by as he takes his coat._

_“Early night, sire?” the coat-guy smiles politely at him._

_“Yes, I’ve never been fond of this kind of party.” Darren rolls his eyes. “If it’s not for my father’s insistence, I would never be here.”_

_The guy laughs. “Well, I hope you have a better time after this. Good night, sire.”_

_Darren is smiling and nodding as he shrugs his coat on. “Good night to you too,” he glances at the tag on the guy’s chest. “Abraham.”_

_Darren pays his tip, walking out of the building into the cold night air. The street is dark except for the post lamps, a few people bundles up in winter coats passes by him in hurry to get home. Darren smiles melancholy at that. There’s no one waiting for him at home._

_He is distracted by a mother chatting with her little boy about dinner when someone bumps into him. The person, with snow cap and large wool-knitted scarf wraps around his neck ducks and bows his head in apology repeatedly._

_“It’s fine, I’m okay,” Darren says, waving his hands. The man nods and storms off._

_Darren sighs and wonders where he should head to when he sneaks his palm into the warm of his pocket and realizes something missing. Oh no._

_“Hey!” Darren quickly runs after the man who bumps into him earlier. “Hey! Wait up!” Some people start to turn to him curiously. “He stole my thing! Stop him!”_

_No one is near enough to help him, so he quickens his speed to catch up with the pickpocket. The man realizes he’s being chased when Darren yells at him to stop, making a mad dash into the nearest back alley. Darren skids, nearly miss a trash can being thrown at him before resumes chasing the man who has his stolen diamond._

_They run through the back alley, and at a corner Darren manages to catch up on the man, pulling hard on his woollen scarf. The scarf slips free, as well as the snow cap to reveal a man younger than him with brown hair and blue eyes staring at him in shock._

_Darren’s first though is that the man is beautiful._

_“Hey, hey, calm down,” There is nothing but a ten meters wall behind that man—boy? – and Darren stands in front of him, tugging gently on the scarf. The boy’s face is pale and dirty as he clutches the diamond tight into his chest.  “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want that brooch back.” Darren says quietly. “I promise not to call the police, so can you just…”_

_Darren takes a step forward, and the boy slams his back to the brick wall, eyes wide and nose red from the cold._

_He looks frightened._

_“Hey, look,” Darren says. “You wouldn’t know what to do with that thing either. You can’t sell it without someone calling the cops. So why don’t you just give it back to me?”_

_The boy shakes his head, and a loud growl from his stomach echoes through the empty back alley. The boy’s face grows red._

_“Why don’t we make a deal?” Darren smiles and takes another step forward, carefully this time. “I’ll give you hot meals and a few bucks in exchange of that diamond?”_

_The boy stares at him suspiciously and judgingly._

_“Look, I’m doing you a favour here. I can assure you no one would buy a diamond brooch from a pickpocket that is barely out of his teen. So why don’t we just skip the trouble and accept the deal?”_

_The boy is still looking at him with suspicion and judgement, which is pretty impressive since he’s the one clutching a stolen jewel in his hands._

_“And you can hold on to that brooch until I give you what I promised. How does that sounds?”_

_And that’s how they ends up at Darren’s apartment, the boy refuses to take off his scarf and snow cap, sitting gingerly quiet on a chair in front of the small dining table while Darren prepares him dinner. Eating out would be easier, but he doesn’t want other people to see the boy giving out a diamond to him._

_However, inviting a pickpocket that he doesn’t even know, who in fact just stole a diamond brooch that he stole from a rich lady, is not a pleasant situation either and Darren wonders if the melancholy feelings he has earlier is now clouding his sanity._

_Darren keeps an eye on the boy. His wide, unblinking eyes scans everything in the room with full interest, lingers longingly at the books on the shelves and a violin on the coffee table._

_“You play?”_

_The boy startles from his seat, blue eyes blinks questioningly at Darren before realizes that Darren is asking him whether he plays violin and shakes his head._

_Dinner is ready, and Darren shoves a plate full of rice, mashed potatoes, chickens and mushroom, in front of the boy. The boy doesn’t spare him a glance before polishing everything in his plate. Darren just cocks his head, watching the boy._

_“… Do you want mine?” Darren asks, pushing his own plate towards the boy. The boy nods and takes it before eating up everything as well._

_Darren smiles, stands and goes to make himself a cup of coffee before sitting back on the chair._

_The boy finishes his dinner and looks up at Darren shyly. “… Thank you,” his voice is soft and a bit husky as if he doesn’t use it for a while._

_“You are most welcome,” Darren smiles wider; trying to calm his heartbeats whenever his gaze locks with those blue eyes, which he swears just turns into green._

_The boy pushes his fingerless-gloved hand into his pocket, and drops the diamond brooch on the table. “Here, I’m sorry I stole it.”_

_“Its fine,” Darren takes the diamond and wraps it gently in his handkerchief. “I understand. Thank you for sticking up with the deal.”_

_The boy nods and stands to leave, when Darren stops him. “Wait, I don’t know your name.”_

_The confused look the boy gives him almost makes his feel embarrassed for calling out like that. Almost._

_“… Why do you want to know?”_

_“Well, I fed you.” Darren grins, eyeing the empty plates on the table. The boy glares at him. “Okay, I’m just curious.”_

_“… It’s Chris.”_

_Darren nods; stands and goes make coffee again, this time pulling another mug. “Chris,” he says, tasting the name on his tongue. “I’m Darren. Well, Chris, where are you heading after this?”_

_“… Nowhere,” the boy folds his arms up his chest defensively. “I sleep pretty much everywhere. If it gets cold, there’s a spot under the bridge that is near enough to a nearby heater from someone’s house.”_

_Darren’s heart nearly breaks from that. “Don’t you have family?”_

_The boy cast a glance down, eyebrows furrows and lips quivers slightly. Darren wants to kicks himself for that stupid question._

_“I have a spare bedroom, you can sleep here.”_

_The boy looks up at him, staring, making himself smaller with the woollen scarf and big, worn-out coat._

_“Besides, I think it’s starting to snow,” Darren glances outside the window and the boy realizes he’s right. Darren smiles warmly, pours coffee into two mugs and hands one to the boy. “So, what do you say, Chris?”_

* * *

 

They end up not cooking any meal, instead ordering in a large pizza with lots of meats and mushrooms with two bottles of wine watching a re-run of a sitcom on their sofa, the glow of their post-orgasm fades slowly with the sound of the television.

“Hey, babe?” Darren slurs as his head props on the sofa-arm, staring at the ceiling with his feet under Chris’s butt.

“Yeah?” Chris replies quietly from the other end of the sofa, his toe moving up and down Darren’s thighs.

“How long has it been since we met?”

Chris swirls his head from the television to Darren, squinting his eyes in the dark to have a better look at him. “Three years in three days,”

The silence makes Chris curiosity peeks, so he put down his wineglass and stares at Darren. “Are you okay?”

Darren smiles and turns his eyes from the ceiling to Chris. “Yes,” his ankles wrap gently around Chris’s. “As long as you’re here,”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Chris whispers quietly, eyes soft and gentle.

Darren nods. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The next morning when they’re preparing for breakfast, the front door bell rings loudly. Chris looks at Darren, expecting an answer, but Darren just shrugs.

“Hi! Good morning!” A woman in her early-thirties greets them cheerfully, her apron still tied around her waist when Chris opens the door. “May I come in?”

“Jane, good morning,” Chris replies whole-heartedly and steps aside, allowing the woman to wanders into the house and into the kitchen. Jane is their friend and closest neighbour. She often comes to visit after the school bus picks up her children to school, and she and her husband always invite Chris and Darren for a dinner party at their house ever since the two men moved in the neighbourhood.

They love her. She’s friendly but she never asks anything too personal, which is in their case, is perfect for a cover-up.

“Good morning, Darren.” She greets as she reveals the good under the cloth like an 80’s Midwestern housewife; a fresh-baked apple pie.

“That looks delicious, Jane,” Darren smiles, picking up mugs as Chris goes to serves their breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and beans. “Want a coffee?”

She sighs. “Yes, please. The kids are driving me crazy this morning.” Darren just chuckles as she takes her seat on the dining table and he slides the steaming mug of coffee to her. “Oh yes, have you heard about the news?”

Chris who is unwrapping the pie and cutting it into slices looks up in wonder. “What news?”

“You didn’t know?” her eyes are wide, and her blonde ringlets dance around as she turns to him. “The robbery, of course! There’s a huge robbery at the jewel store yesterday, everyone is talking about it. That’s the five robberies in the past two months. Five jewel stores in two months… And it was done by the same suspects.” She frowns into her mug. “What’s wrong with our police and security system nowadays?”

Darren chuckles as he starts on his breakfast, flipping the today’s news on his tablet. “Well, as long as they don’t come here.”

“You want some breakfast, Jane?” Chris offers, and Jane shakes her head.

“I almost forgot,” she suddenly says. “Tom and I are hosting a dinner party tonight. Just you two, a couple of our friends… And no the MacLarrens,” she quickly adds when both Darren and Chris give her a look. “I don’t invite them this time; I know how you guys hate them.”

“Hate is such a strong word…” Darren smirks as he finishes his eggs.

“More like, strongly dislike,” Chris nods in agreement, grinning when Jane let out a chuckle behind her mug. Even Tom and Jane doesn’t like the MacLarrens very much; they are snobs and religious and had no problem expressing their dislike towards Chris and Darren’s ‘life-style’.

“Well, I have to get to work,” Darren put his dishes in the dishwasher and grabs his bag, kissing at the corner of Chris’s mouth, his finger teases the gold stud on Chris’s earlobe before taking off. “I’ll see you later, babe. And we’ll definitely come tonight, Jane.”

Chris and Jane watch him disappear into the garage, and a few minutes later the garage door pulls up and an orange convertible drives down the road with a honk.

“So,” Jane looks back to Chris. “Since we house-spouses are free now, can you help me with the shopping for tonight?”

Chris laughs. “Sure,”

* * *

 

_It’s been more than two weeks since Chris started living at Darren’s apartment. It’s not as if he actually wants to take advantage of becoming a freeloader, but every time he tries to leave, Darren either asks him to stay longer so he can play something for Chris with his violin or cook more delicious food. And when he tries to sneak out and leaves in the middle of the night, Darren either walks in, smiles and offers him warm milk or stay awake until late, reading a book while Chris unconsciously fell asleep._

_“Why do you try to stop me from leaving?” Chris asks him one day, both of them sitting in the living room with books; Darren is actually surprised that Chris is able to read and knows a lot of difficult words. Chris just shrugged and said ‘libraries’ without further explanation._

_Darren looks up from his book, eyebrows raise. “Why do you want to leave?”_

_Chris scowls, putting his book down to look at Darren as if he lost his mind. “You don’t know me.”_

_“Well, I know your name is Chris,” Darren grins, and laughs when Chris rolls his eye at him. “Do you have anywhere else to go? Because if you do I wouldn’t stop you,”_

_That is the first time Darren ever sees Chris looks uneasy. “Not really…”_

_“Then just stay here,” Darren’s voice has an air of finality in them. “That room is yours, and you can do whatever you like in here.” He glances at Chris. “You can take a bath if you want; there are actually clothes that would fit you in the closet in your room. They were mine when I was younger…” he stops and blinks. “Wait, how old is you?”_

_“… 19,”_

_“I thought you were 16!”_

_Chris shrugs. “Yeah, I look younger than I am. How old are you?”_

_“I’m 21.”_

_Chris snorts. “Well, you definitely looks older than your age.”_

_Darren is grinning and pointing at him. “Rude,”_

* * *

 

“Are you sure about the date?” Chris looks down at the paper Darren lays out on the table. They are back from Tom and Jane’s dinner party and to their delight; it was nothing like the dinner they had with the MacLarrens. The other couples are lovely and polite enough, the food are delicious and Jane heaves a sigh of satisfaction at her successful dinner party.

It is late but Darren couldn’t wait another second to tell about his next plan.

“Yes, Christmas Eve.” Darren replies, lips tight as he waits for Chris’s response. “I understand if you don’t want to do it, but that’s the last social event of the year; before New Year’s Eve.”

Chris stares at the paper, looks up at Darren’s hopeful eyes and sighs. “Fine,”

“Thank you,” Darren circles the table and pulls him into a hug, nose buries into Chris’s neck. “You wouldn’t regret this.” He starts to lay out his plan for that night. Chris just nods and smiles, pretending to listen, but in fact he slowly crosses all his Christmas’s list from his head.

There will be no Christmas for them this year.

It’s the night of 24th December, Christmas Eve. It’s a night for celebration but to them, it’s an opportunity. They had politely refuse Tom and Jane’s invitation for a Christmas dinner and heads out to the grand hotel that holds the Christmas ball, where an exhibition of a young socialite’s private diamond collection is being held. One of the main attractions of the exhibit is the Heart of Eternity Diamond.

Darren and Chris’s target that night is not that stone.

They got in with Darren’s invitation card; since this time he is using his true identity to get in –as the  writer for the local newspaper’s section _‘Event of the Season’_ —for the scope of his latest article. Both of them wear tuxedos expensive enough to blends in, and wear gloves to not leave fingerprints at the ball.

Darren and Chris stand at the grand entrance, surveying the potential victims around the heavily Christmas-decorated ballroom. There is a huge Christmas tree in the middle with a gold star high up at the top. The men and women walk around with expensive suits and dresses with the latest style like they just came out from fashion magazines. Finest beverages are being pass around accompanies by small chatters and amused laughter. Darren catches what he is looking for, tugging at Chris’s jacket and walks to the old couple who are talking among themselves.

When the couple notices them, Darren put on his best-charming smile and introduces himself and Chris as his partner —the wife recognizes Darren immediately as the writer for the social column “You wrote such marvellous things about those events! I was at that disastrous tea-party where Lady Sophie lost her diamond earrings. She said someone stole it, but I think she just forgot where she misplaced it. Such silly woman,”— and it appears that the husband is a real-estate investor.

Darren eyes the black diamond on the wife’s necklace. Chris is quick to notice.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Chris smiles sweetly, excuses themselves as he and Darren go to have a drink at the open-bar. 

They wait for the bartender to make their cocktails as Chris glances at him. “Is that what you want?”

Darren nods, his eyes sparkle with excitement. The adrenaline is spiking up in his veins and his head is full with plots. “Yes,”

The bartender slips their drinks in front of them.

There’s a moment of quiet murmurs when the music begin to play, and one of the young couple shuffles forward to lead the dance in the middle of the ballroom. Chris and Darren keep still on their barstool, watching as one by one the couples start to move and slow-dance with their partners.

Darren picks up something from his pocket, hides it in his glove and extends a hand towards Chris. “Shall we?” he asks flirtingly and at the same time wriggling his eyebrows ridiculously. Chris knows this is just a part of the plan, but he still can’t help rolling his eyes in amusement and accepts the offer, as Darren whisks him away to the dance floor.

Darren smiles gently as he picks Chris’s hesitant hand and put it around his own shoulder, his right hand clutches Chris’s left hand as he wrap his free hand around Chris’s waist, snug and tight. When the second verse of the song starts, he moves and brings Chris along with him, slowly and gracefully in a little circle. They are so close they can feel each other’s breath and heartbeats; Darren can count all the little freckles on Chris’s nose and Chris can see the green specks in Darren’s pupils. Their eyes meet and for a while, they hold their gazes, lost in the seas of colours in each other’s as Darren leans in to close the distance, lips on Chris’s gold-stud and sings, “ _Later on, we’ll conspire, as we dream by the fire,_ ”

Chris closes his eyes to soak in Darren’s smooth, gravel voice, and right on time they bump into the old couple they’ve met earlier.

“I’m so sorry,” Darren holds up a hand in apology, his hand slides up to hold Chris by the shoulder. Chris is still closing his eyes, his temple against Darren’s jaw, heart beating fast as he can feel Darren slides something back into his glove. He can hear the old couple laughs at their clumsiness, commenting about them being “cute and endearing” and Darren smiles indulgently before pulling Chris away back to the bar. He wills to peeks at the wife’s neck; there’s the necklace with the black diamond, but the difference is that this one sparkles brilliantly.

Chris swallows the bile in his throat; head spinning as he opens his eyes, only to be greeted with Darren’s hazel eyes, looking at him worriedly. “Are you okay? I got it. It’s done. We can get out of here.”

Chris nods, its fine to rob a jewel store with only a hat to cover his face, but stealing in this manner never fails to make his gut ties in a knot. Darren grasps his hand and goes to take their coats before leaving the ballroom. There’s a security check at the exit of the hotel; with armed bodyguards and body-scanner. They are being separated as the bodyguards scan them, but Darren’s hand still intertwines with Chris.

“What’s wrong?” The bodyguard asks suspiciously.

“My partner is sick, I don’t want to let go of him,”

The bodyguard nods in understatement, pulling the scanner over their link hands—where Darren is hiding the real black diamond—and Chris watches helplessly as he wills for the scanner to trigger the alarm.

The scanner passes. There’s no sound to be heard. No alarm in the air. The bodyguard holds the door open and wishes them a good night. Darren thanked him, pulling Chris closer to his body as he wraps him in his winter coat and walks into the cold street.

They are three blocks away from the hotel when Chris’s voice finally comes back. “So, the reflective metal in your glove really works?”

Darren grins as he holds his hand up, a black diamond known as the _‘Black Moon’_ tumbles down from the inside of his glove into his open palm. “Like magic,” he winks.

Chris laughs; both relief and pleasant, at the sight of the childish look on Darren’s face. The adrenaline from the theft is replaced with excitement and exhilaration of satisfaction and they walk back to their house hand-in-hand. “ _To face unafraid, the plans that we’ve made, walking in a winter wonderland_ ,” Chris hums softly under his breath and Darren kisses him on the nose.

They take a corner where they park their orange car. Darren drives it up into a long street, bringing them into their neighbourhood and watches the lights decorating the streets; music and cheers coming from the houses with children.

The car drives up the front of their dark house and into the garage as Darren kills the engine. Chris heaves a soft sigh, puts his hand in his pocket and walks out of the car. A frantic Darren runs after him, fumbling with the many keycards he has to open the door; Chris frowning in the cold. They forgot to turn on the heater in the garage.

The moment they step into the house, lights flicker on and the room is now bursting with vintage LED rainbow-coloured lights fully decorated with a Christmas tree, a couple of presents, socks and ball lights. The ‘Winter Wonderland’ music plays softly in the background.

“Wha—How?” Chris turns to Darren, wide eyes and unblinking—to Darren who is full-on grinning with squinted eyes at the shock on his partner’s face.

“Merry Christmas,” Darren says cheerfully, looking up. Chris follows him and notices mistletoe hanging on the ceiling. “Well, I got some help by Jane, but—“ He is quickly cut off by a pair of lips smashes into his. Darren can’t stop grinning as he kisses back, just as hard.

“I love you,” Chris pulls back and kisses him again, tears well up at the corner of his eyes. “Thank you. I love you.”

Darren closes his eyes, arms wrap tight around Chris’s waist, swaying back and forth into the kiss. “I love you too.”

“ _Gone away is the bluebird, here to stay is a new bird, he sings a love song, as we go along, walking in a winter wonderland_.”

* * *

 

_Two months living with Darren, Chris finally asks about the diamond brooch he stole from Darren the first night they met._

_Darren has no problem revealing how he steals from rich people; mostly diamonds, gold or silver. He does have a normal job though; he’s a writer for the local newspaper’s column that features about all the biggest and hottest social event of the season. That’s where he got his sources from. For the time being, he works from home. He only has to show up at his office a couple of times a week for his deadline or a meeting._

_Chris has no idea why Darren trusted him with the secret, but he intends to keep it._

_Darren brings Chris to his office; introduces him as his new roommate –feeding his co-workers about how he’s a kid fresh out of college with minimal budget to live on and Darren was gracious enough to share—and buys him shoes, socks, undergarments and coats that will actually fits him. They go grocery shopping at the supermarket and Darren teaches Chris how to cook. Chris tries to be troublesome; messing up the laundries and uses the wrong oil to cook. But Darren is patient with him, and just laughs when his white underwear comes out pink from the washer and eats his burnt chicken without complain._

_Chris finally gives up on trying to frustrate Darren, and ends up keeping the small apartment in order. Darren, who is not a morning person, is greeted with the smell of fresh coffee every morning with the day’s news open on his tablet. Chris just hides his blushing face behind the refrigerator when Darren comes out of his bedroom, drinks the coffee and thanked Chris with a happy grin on his face._

_Some night Darren asks him to go to bed early. Chris knows he goes out to steal when he notices Darren slips in his glove into his pocket._

_Apparently Chris waits for Darren until he comes home; with a blanket bundles in his lap, a glass of cooling milk on the stand and a book on his chest, snoring lightly in the room that basks in light from the lamp beside the sofa. It’s nearly two in the morning; and Darren watches Chris with his heart trying to beats out of his chest; the tousle brown hair, pink lips part and a shirt snugs around the torso. He puts away the diamond he stole that night into safety, and gently lifts Chris into his arms to put him into bed._

_His lips press to Chris’s forehead before turning the light off and closes the door. It’s not until later when he picks up the book Chris read that he realizes the meaning of what has been nagging in his heart recently._

_Six months into their new living arrangement, Darren gets ready to go out to steal when Chris offers to come along. He promises to not bother Darren; it’s just that he’s sick of being copped in the apartment all day long (his own fault really; Darren gives him full permission to go out of the apartment to get fresh air but he declined)_

_Darren hasn’t learnt how to say no to Chris yet at that point, so he agrees. The location for that night is at a new-opening of a museum._

_In the end, with Darren acting as one of the museum’s worker with an intern (Chris), they manage to steal a gold medallion worth almost a million._

_They celebrate by having dinner at Chris’s favourite pancake house. The excitement make Chris reveals his true personality, and Darren decides he loves the witty, smart Chris who laughs with his teeth, clumsily trying to avoid toppling the plastic glass again. Darren can never remember when is the last time he laughed so hard in his life._

_Under the starry night, at near four in the morning, walking home with the smell of summer breeze in the air, Darren turns to Chris, holds his chin up and kisses him. Chris kisses him back as if waiting for it to happen._

_Life becomes much brighter, and their days are fill with smiles thrown over from the end of the room, gazes linger longer over a cup of coffee, hands link together as they walk down the street, and tender embraces and kisses at the start and the end of of a perfect day._

_Nights of reading books and playing violin turns into nights of shared passion and whispers of promises into skins. Bright eyes gaze into each other’s as their hearts beat together, sharing secrets and fears and tomorrows. They open their hearts and present it in a silver platter and exchange them with one another._

_Near one year into living together, Darren suggests they move into a house in the neighbourhood closest to the city so Chris can have a bigger kitchen to cook and a bigger bathroom. Besides, the shelves couldn’t support their growing collection of books and his growing diamond collection._

_After two years of careful plans and keen observations, the both of them start targeting jewellery stores._

_Darren keeps the most valuable diamonds in his collection, while selling the others in the black market._

* * *

 

The summer that year proves to be the most unforgettable summer of their lives.

Chris is checking the security system of the next jewellery store they are planning to rob when Darren, who has been sitting at the dining table, staring at a map and nibbling at a cookie; absent-mindedly asks, “What do you think about Italy?”

Chris looks up from the screen at the living room, frowning. “Are you planning to rob an Italian jewellery shop?”

Darren chuckles and closes the map’s holograph screen. “No, just—what do you think about Italy?”

“It’s nice, I think,” Chris shrugs, going back to examine his own screen. A finger touches the holograph as it changes into a cube that represents the jewellery store. “I read a lot about it in the books, it seems like a nice place to live a quiet, peaceful life.”

“I agree,” Darren nods, straightens his back and hazel eyes bores to Chris’s feature, lips moving as if to say something. Chris stares right through the holograph cube he has been examining at Darren, patiently waiting and wondering. “We should move there.”

Chris blinks. “Excuse me?”

“We should move there,” Darren repeats, pushing himself out of the chair and moves towards Chris, clicking the button as the holograph screens blips and disappears. “After this robbery—one final robbery—we sell all the diamonds and the house, pack and move to Italy.”

Chris blinks again, disbelief. “Are you—but why?”

“I love you,” Darren smiles, takes Chris’s hand and kisses the knuckles. It’s been three years, and Darren still looks at him with that wonder and soft lingers in his eyes, like he’s the only one that matters. _The only one._ “I love you too much. I don’t want to put you in danger anymore.”

There’s a moment of silence follows after that.

Chris still remembers the first night of his encounter with the elder man. He was hungry, cold, and his worn-out coat has a hole on it. He thought he was going to get a bit of cash from the man walking out of building that held all the biggest parties for rich people who owns too much money and too little ideas on how to spend it. When he thought he would get beaten by stealing the diamond, he was determined to give up. Just stay still, not moving, closes his eyes, waiting for everything to just stop. But Darren saved him that night. He gave him a shelter, he gave him meals, he gave him warmth in his laughter and music, and he gave him a company, a friend, someone to hold on to.

Darren gives him love.

And Chris knows Darren depends on him too. Darren who is sweet, kind, and _everything_ ; Darren is everything to Chris, and he is everything to Darren.

Right now, that Darren is rambling. “But we can stay here too, if you want, I mean—this house is new, and we have lovely neighbours, and I just make friends with the dog across the street—”

“Okay,” his voice sounds like he wanted to cry, but the smile he gives to Darren is nothing but love and trust. “Let’s move to Italy.”

He could have sworn he sees the relief from Darren’s eyes as soon as he said that.

* * *

 

Everything is planned out, and all they have to do is make it work. They both wear wide hats to cover their faces and stylish outfits; jade green for Darren and dark purple for Chris. Their orange-colour convertible is roaring with engine, as they eye the new jewellery store with two bodyguards at the front.

Darren kills the engine and both of them steps out of the car, and without hesitation walk into the store, pass the two oblivious bodyguards. Chris looks up enough to see the five surveillance systems install around the store. There are only three customers beside them; a couple and a young man, ignoring them both as they chat with the sellers about their purchases.

Their eyes set on the glass case behind the counter; a huge yellow diamond with a bird decorated with gold and small diamonds perched on it.

A young girl in uniform approaches them with a friendly smile. “Can I help you with anything, sir?”

Darren smiles charmingly, hiding most of his features under his hat; his voice gruff and unpleasant. “Yes, I’m looking for a pendant for my wife?”

The girl nods and turns to Chris, “How about you, sir?”

“He’s my brother, he’s mute,” Darren quickly adds.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the girl exclaims, guiltily apologizes and bows to Chris who just shakes his head. She leads them to the counter nearest to the glass case, showing them a number of pendants made from silver, gold and diamonds.

“Are you interested in this one, sir?” The girl wears a glove, extending a square-cut pendant towards Darren. Darren smiles and shakes his head.

“Pardon me, miss,” he says, and immediately shoves the girl aside as he climbs over the countertop, smashes the glass case with a small diamond and a brick he hides under his jacket. The girl screams in shock, and the room is fills with siren alarms as the workers and customers try to escape. The two bodyguards run through the door armed with a gun each, but Chris who is hiding beside the hidden corner wall near the entry knocks them down in two seconds with electric shock. He throws the device away.

Darren picks up the yellow diamond and hides it in his glove before jumping down, and run towards Chris who is waiting for him at the front entry. The security system triggers and the store are near lockdown as iron bars start closing down every exit in the room. They manage to slip past from under it with near miss, dashing towards their car that immediately changes into an azure blue vintage Jaguar.

They stop in a halt in the middle of the street, moves closer slowly, hats low as they are surrounded by policemen with guns pointing at them. Apparently they have been waiting for a while.

“Damn,” Darren mutters when they get close enough to hear each other. “I think we just step into a trap,”

“You think?” Chris replies, fails to hide his sarcasm and sweats begin to roll down his forehead.

They look around as the policemen ask them to put their hands behind their head and kneel on the ground and give up the diamond. There are a total ten of them, and two police mobiles. Darren slowly sneaks the diamond from his glove and with a smile, tosses it high up in the air and pulls Chris with him, diving into the car fast and hits the pedal. The policemen are taken by surprise and distracted with the precious diamond flying in the open air that they are a minute too late to stop the two thieves from driving out of the scene.

The police mobiles start up and fly over for about two inches above the ground and waste no time to track them.

“They’re catching up,” Chris glances behind him, eyeing the police mobile. Darren nods, skids and doesn’t step on the break as he spins around the corner near a café, toppling a few thankfully empty tables and chairs.

There’s another police mobile in front of them.

“Crap,” Darren is about to hit on the break when Chris points at the small alley between two blocks of buildings. Darren turns the wheels immediately and darts into the narrow alley that barely fits a car. They come out into a busy street fills with people waiting for the bus, and Chris shouts in warning at the pedestrians. The people jumps out of the way, as Darren pulls the car over back to the right road.

Looking around, they drive for a while to see if the polices are still on their trail. Chris is about to let out a relief sigh. “I think we’ve lost—”

A gunshot breaks and the car lost control. Darren’s hands slip off and Chris, eyes wide and gawking in shock, turns around and finally notices the police hiding in their back trunk. The police is about to shoot him too when Chris quickly picks up the gun that Darren hides in the car compartment for emergency (they never use it before) and pulls the safety pin before firing a shot at the police’s shoulder without hesitation. The policeman yelps in pain and stumbles out from the car and rolls into the road, and Chris; short on breath, turns back to Darren to see him doubles over and pressing a hand over his rib.

Darren’s brows are sweating as he looks up and notices the fear on Chris’s face. “Take the wheel, babe. You know where to go.”

Chris nods, knowing how his voice will betray him In this situation, moving to change seats with Darren, hands shaking as he presses the button to change the car into orange-colour and steps on the gas.

He drives and drives and only glances over at the passenger seat only when Darren groans in pain.

They arrive at an empty shed in a middle of an empty field at the suburbs when the sun is about to sets. When he pulls on the break, he pulls Darren’s hand away from the rib to inspect the wound.

The blood is seeping into the jacket and trickles into the seat.

“Darren…” Chris’s hands couldn’t stop shaking and his lips are trembling, face going pale at every second. Darren doesn’t look better, his face is covered in sweats and his lips are drain from colour, the shot might hit one of his vital organs. Chris quickly shrugs off his jacket, pushing the cloth to the wound to stop anymore excessive bleeding.

“We—we can’t stay here. You need help. We better get help,” Chris is about to get out of the car when Darren grabs his wrist.

“Don’t, they’ll know we’re the thieves. The bullet inside me would be recognizes immediately,”

It’s true; it’s easier to identify a bullet from a police’s gun as they are only allowed to use a single model.

“But you can’t—I don’t care, we have to get help,”

“Chris, stop,”

Chris is crying. He looks panic-stricken and he is shaking and he desperately has no idea what to do except calling for help. But he knows that would be like digging up their graves. If Darren is taken to the hospital, there’s no doubt the two of them would end up in prison before they even removes the bullet from Darren’s body.

And with the police firing shots at them from the back of their trunk, it seems like the police don’t bother to keep them alive anymore.

“I told you, I don’t want to put you in danger,” Darren whispers, holding up his blood-stained hand to wipe away the tears from Chris’s face and tucks it behind Chris’s ear, finger touching the cold gold stud. He chuckles. “I’m so stupid, thinking this will be our last job before moving to Italy. Look at what happened.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chris moves slowly in his messed-up state to get closer to Darren, holding him in his lap, arms wrap tightly around Darren’s chest.

_Hopeless._

The day turns into night, and they only able to see each other with the help of the beam lights coming from the car.

“… You have to get out of here,” Darren says in tight voice, breathing proves to be a difficulty with every passing minute. He winces at the pain shooting through his body everytime he tries to talk more than two words. “Get out and never look back,”

“No,”

Chris is stubborn. And sometimes it’s the trait that he despises. And sometimes, he is really thankful for it. “I would never leave you,” Chris presses his lips to Darren’s cold, sweaty temple, his voice quavering, desperate. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Darren swallows, finally letting go of his tight grip on Chris’s wrist and slips deep into his pocket as if searching for something. He takes out a small velvet box and hands it to the brown-haired man. Chris, with face full of tears, looks at Darren questioningly before opens it.

Resting in the middle of the box is a silver ring with gold lining over it.

“This is…”

Darren’s pale lips turn up into a small smile, his eyes dropping when he gazes up at Chris like he’s the most beautiful thing Darren had ever seen. “It’s an engagement ring. After we get home, I was thinking about asking you to marry me.”

The confession just makes Chris cries harder; he shakily slips the ring into his fourth finger and drops his forehead against Darren’s. Their breaths mingle and Darren can feel the tears rolling from Chris’s face into his cheek, eyes saddened at the thought of putting that tears in Chris’s pretty eyes.

“You know I would say yes,” Chris whispers, kissing Darren softly on the lips. A harsh sob escapes from him. “I would always, _always_ say yes,”

Darren’s eyelashes flutters and a single tear rolls down his cheek.

He knows that’s not Chris’s tears anymore.

“I love you,” he mutters faintly, brokenly, too soft to be heard but he knows Chris can hear it clearly. “I love you so much,”

Chris keeps kissing him, trembling hands that holds Darren around the chest pressing the cloth into the wound, his hands smears with blood –Darren’s blood—lips muttering ‘I love you’s without stopping until his voice turns hoarse and eyesight blurs with tears as he watches Darren closes his eyes, the hand holding Chris behind the ear slowly slips away.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there in the car roaring with engine, sobbing and crying with Darren in his lap until he notices the sky become too dark and someone is approaching them from afar.

Chris turns his head, holding Darren who is no longer breathing into his chest, heart beating as wild as his hair and eyes.

A woman with long, light flowing yellow dress is standing there with worry masking her pretty face; strawberry-blond hair caresses her cheeks as she finally catches the sight of him, eyes twinkling with green stars fill with sadness and… regret?

There’s a fading spiral of lights on her back. The field is brightens up by the spiral, until it vanishes and there’s only a sound of cicadas and the lone figure of the woman standing on the grass.

“Looks like I’m too late,” she sighs as she comes near to them. Chris looks like he’s in shock, backing away by gripping tight to Darren. She swipes her long dress from the ground and tucks it up her bare ankles, smiling gently. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She stops by the car, looking down at the both of them.

Chris feels like every strength from his being is gone. He’s too tired, too crestfallen, too _hopeless_ , and he just lost Darren.

Darren, Darren, his best friend, his lover, his world, his everything, his _everything_ , _his everything_ …

“You can make a wish, you know,” she speaks softly and as clear as the night sky. “I can grant you a wish.”

“A wish?” Chris whsipers, voice too low to be properly heard as if he haven’t uses it for years. He looks up at the woman, eyes wide and unblinking with grave. The woman stares back at him, understanding and gentle, and he has no idea why she looks at them like that. Chris doesn’t even know this strange woman.

“My wish…” Chris’s voice is toneless, but then he looks back to Darren’s face, his sobs breaking again. “I want him to come back.” He mutters brokenly.“I want him to come back.”

The woman nods, standing straight and imperious. “What would you give to have him come back?”

“Anything!” Chris can no longer hold back his tremors and he doesn’t care that he’s now shouting at the strange woman. He doesn’t care that he looks like a crazy person crying hysterically and witheringly while holding a dead body. “I don’t care, just bring him back. I’ll give you anything!”

The woman doesn’t seem to be effected by Chris’s outburst, deadpan. “The price; is the memories of you two together.”

The air becomes heavier to breath, and Chris is gasping like he just comes back to the surface from a pool of water before he can shake the surprise from his head. “What?”

“You heard me,” she has her face set into a stern. Sad and solemn, but stern. “When he wakes up, he will no longer be able to remember you or the time he spent with you. You will forever be gone from his memory as well as his heart. The same goes for you; your memories with him will vanish. You might be crossing path, and pass by each other like strangers with no memories of ever been together. Would you be willing to pay for that kind of price?”

Gone. Vanish.

Forget.

Darren will forget about him. All the time they spent together, with promises whispered on naked skins; everything will be taken away and forgotten as if they meant nothing. His Darren, his _everything_ , will forget about him and lives. He will lives on and forgets about Chris. And Chris would forget about Darren too.

Darren would live.

He slowly looks down at Darren’s face –cold and pale, too pale from the normal tan he usually supporting—and for the first time that night, quirks a small, sorrowful smile as he kisses Darren’s forehead gently.

“I’ll pay the price.”

The woman nods, lights spark in vibrant blue around her feet and there’s a sudden gush of wind coming from her back, hitting Chris and Darren with a force strong enough for him to shut his eyes.

A burst of light appears behind his eyelids, and Chris grips Darren tighter, doesn’t dare to open his eyes and he whispers another “I love you” to Darren’s temple. There’s a roaring sound reflected from everywhere around him, loud and deafening.

Then everything becomes quiet and bleak.

Everything is dark.

* * *

 

Destiny hums under her breath as she looks at the people passing by the street in front of the café with her chin props up in her palms, her sunglasses blocking her eyes from the sun, with a cooling coffee in front of her.

Italy is so nice.

It’s been three years after the incident. She revived Darren back to life—thankfully his soul doesn’t go too far yet—and takes all his and Chris’s memories away, locked into safety. For a moment, she was afraid if she had killed the both of them because the magic was too powerful, but even when the two are unconscious, they are still breathing. Darren’s gunshot wound heals immediately, leaving a tiny scar. She separates the two men before taking off on her own.

Chris disappeared from the map for a while.

Darren opened his eyes two hours after, and in confusion trying to remember why he’s at his old family’s barn.

Even with a chunk of memory lost, Darren seems fine to keep on living on his own. He still remembered about his bank account and his house. When he got home, he wondered why half of the house seems empty and shrugged it off (every memorabilia he had with Chris disappeared along with the memories, including photos and the diamonds they stole together). Darren turns on the holograph screens and stares at the empty files and databases and cocks his head in wonder; why he never used those screens before. He left the screens floating around the room and started packing, calling the mover to have his house clean and his house-agent. He sold the house. Then he called the airport to purchase a one way ticket to Italy, alone.

Darren absolutely loves everything about Italy. He’s recovering well and got an apartment while working as a music teacher at a local school.

It’s been a while since she stays in a certain world for too long; usually by that time she is already on her way to visit the next three worlds.

But she can’t leave until everything written as fate and destiny unfolds before her very own eyes.

A bicycle screeches into a stop; cutting her daydreams; as a young man with glasses, gold-ball stud earring and brown hair appears in front of her. He doesn’t seems to recognizes her though, parking his bike and picking up his bag to sit on the table two rows away on her right, taking out a book and starts reading quietly, ignoring his surroundings. From her seat, she has a clear view of the ring hanging on a chain around the young man's neck.

She watches and right on cues, turns; as a dark-curly haired man walks by with a violin case and a book, pauses to read the menu and looks around in search of an empty table. There’s one behind the brown-haired boy, but the table is lacking chairs as a group of teens had move them around to another table. The man goes to the boy with glasses, peering in. “Excuse me, can I have this chair?”

There is not even a slightest recognition in Chris’s eyes as he glances up at Darren, bright blue eyes fixed and emotionless, nodding stoically and waves his hand dismissively. Darren, also with the same expression, but with a touch of thankful smile, drags the empty chair besides Chris towards the empty table, sits and opens his book. A waitress comes out to take their orders separately and leaves.

For the rest of the evening, the both of them are sitting together for the first time in three years, reading a book with their backs against each other, oblivious to how much they both meant to each other once upon a time ago.

It almost feels like a lifetime. And for Destiny to feels like that for living more than a couple thousands of years are just…

Chris leaves first, when someone called him on the phone. He grumbles under his breath, dissatisfied as he closes his book, pays for the drink and gets on his bike, cycling away without a glance back.

Darren leaves when it’s near dusk, stretching his muscles, looking at his watch before paying for his drink and runs towards the train station in hurry.

The waitress cleans their tables before approaching her with a smile, noticing her cold, untouched coffee. “Can I get you another drink, ma’am?”

She stares into the street wistfully, shaking her head and smiles before drawing her wallet out to put all her money on the table. “It’s fine,” she says softly. “I think it’s time for me to leave anyway.”

_end_


End file.
